Succumb To The Darkness
by Scarlet Phlame
Summary: Snow White has finally succumbed to the darkness she's been fighting all these years. Regina Mills has chosen to forget everything from her past, present, and now her future. Charming is in the middle of this, and, boy, is he more conflicted than ever. But these little problems can grow to consume the entirety of what's left of Storybrooke. (I do not own anything.) Regina/Charming.
1. Prologue

Summary: Snow White has succumbed to the darkness she's been fighting all these years. Regina Mills has chosen to forget everything from her past, and now her present. Henry misses his real mother. Charming is in the middle of this, and boy, is he more conflicted than ever. (I do not own anything.) Regina/Charming.

Regina wiped a heavy tear from her eye and continued driving, the gentle buzz of the car's motor ringing melodically in her ears. Swallowing to rid herself of a lump in her throat, she bit her lip and continued watching the road.

If she was going to do this, she knew it was ultimately suicide, but she couldn't live on memories. She just wasn't that strong.

"This... would've been enough."

She couldn't keep her mother's final words out of her head. Her heart felt like it was being pounded with a mallet right now, and she leaned over and continued to sob into the steering wheel.

"You... you would've been enough."

She lifted her head slowly, trying to focus on the road. She wanted to forget all of it. She was going to have to, if she wanted to continue on living.

She had lied when she'd said that she could cross the town line and still regain her memories.

She was like any other citizen of Storybrooke, she would lose her memory if she crossed that line, and that was exactly what she planned on doing.

She no longer wished the death of Snow White, she didn't want the wench to hurt her any more than she already had. Fighting wasn't an option to her, not anymore, but she couldn't care less. She had lost so much already, and she knew she was going to lose herself soon enough, too.

The worst part of it all was that she had lost Henry. He had probably lost all faith in her and he wouldn't even notice if she left now. He would find her a coward. Everyone would.

She was running to avoid any more pain, any more suffering. She knew was leaving her son behind in the process, but she knew it was all better for him anyway, he had Emma and that was all he needed from the start. Now he had a father. Something she had never been able to provide him with. It broke her heart to think of Henry.

Long ago, she had made a promise to herself. To allow Snow to feel how she felt. To rip out and crush the heart of her true love right in front of her.

But that wasn't her, not anymore. She didn't have the heart to kill anymore, she felt only like an accomplice.

Regina let out a tiny little cry that sounded more like a wounded animal than a person, and she directed her attention, thick and strong as steel, towards that familiar orange spray paint on the road.

This was it, this was the end of the family of the Millers. She was the only one left, and she knew she was a coward for running.

Would her mother have wanted it?

She bit her lip until it drew blood, and swallowed hard. This was the end of her tragic fairytale, in a moment she would no longer be the Evil Queen. She was going to lose herself to the light, and it was finally all going to end for her.

A long time ago, Regina had merely assumed that everything that happened around her was all under control. She told herself that if she placed the chess pieces on the game of life correctly, there was no way that she could possibly ever lose again.

She was terribly wrong, though. Snow, and that incredibly ridiculous prince of hers had plowed through her carefully-prepared game, and wrecked it. And before she was able to pick up the pieces again, they knocked her back down over and over, time after time.

She'd always longed for magic, wanted it with a craze that no one, not even she, herself, could explain. But now she could. Now, she finally realized why.

She'd wanted magic because it gave her a sense of power, of control, of sorts. Magic made her feel like she had some control over something, anything. She'd always felt that if she couldn't control her own life, then she would have to control everyone else's lives, the people around her, in order to be her own person.

But Cora's death had only intensified the feeling of grief that was always there, always haunting her, if only for a moment. Now... now she couldn't feel anything at all. She thought this as she approached the town line.

Cora's death had sparked something she couldn't explain inside her. Something that seemed to be ripping out her soul every second of every day. But it was a vague feeling, something she now couldn't feel at all.

She was completely and inevitably numb from any emotion. And she hated that. She needed to feel _something_- _anything_, but still... she felt just nothing.

She closed her eyes, and every emotion she had ever known weighed upon her in that one moment. She felt hurt, pain, betrayed, brokenhearted, gleeful, even. She felt like the weakest soul in the world and then no one at all.

And then she felt nothing again, heard nothing but silence, and the strange sensation of herself floating away into an abyss of darkness and nothingness.

_Goodbye, Mother._


	2. Chapter 1

_**Two weeks later...**_

"I'd like a black coffee this morning," Regina said to Ruby, the usual waitress. Ruby nodded and took her cash, she already knew there was no need to ask about the extra, Regina always left a generous tip.

"Have you remembered anything yet?" Ruby asked as she prepared the cup, she wanted to break the awkward silence between them. She could see Regina shake her head.

"It's really hard... but everyone here hates me, don't they." It wasn't really a question, it was a statement, and it was something Ruby knew had been bothering Regina for a while.

Ruby felt partly guilty for what had happened to Regina with Archie, she'd wanted to make it up, but decided not to, not after she had found out from Snow she'd reverted. Again. But she wasn't going to judge this Regina, she was much different than the Evil Queen she had known before, so she shook her head and sighed.

"I don't really know... I mean, you're kind of new here. Not really new new, but you... you're, well, different now." Regina nodded, and Ruby was glad she understood because she didn't really want to repeat it. "I'm pretty sure they're just getting adjusted to you." she handed Regina the cup.

"And we were friends, before? Right?" Ruby bit her lip, she didn't want to lie or hurt Regina's feelings, so she nodded.

"Sort of, I mean, we knew each other." There was more she wanted to say, but she didn't want to make it any more explicit than that.

Regina nodded. "Thank you," she said, although her voice sounded a bit hoarse and she was talking much more quietly now. Ruby's brows furrowed naturally.

"Something wrong?" she inquired gently. Regina cleared her throat.

"I... you see that man in the corner? He keeps on giving me these really weird stares... You, too." Ruby stifled a laugh, David was never really the discreet or sneaky type, and it was so typical Regina would catch him redhanded- er, right in the act. (Not really a term she liked much.)

"Uh, yeah, that's my good friend... David," Ruby spoke quickly, trying not to wince. Regina shrugged and directed her attention back into the brown liquid in her cup. Ruby shot David a get-over-here-this-instant look, and motioned towards the back room.

"What were you doing, talking to her?" Ruby shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"She seems nice," she said quietly. "I mean, you have to give people second chances."

"She's a menace, Ruby! For all we know, she's probably... this is probably another act staged by her! She might be pretending not to know who she is, so when she has all our trust, she can turn and stab us in the back." Ruby grabbed David's arm, preventing him from leaving.

"No, she isn't. That was genuine behavior, besides, why would the real Regina want to talk to me? Me, of all people! What would I have to do in any plan she had? She would probably pretend to be friends with Snow if she really wanted to kill one of you, for heaven's sake!"

"She's trying to get you onto her side," David argued. "She just wants to fool you into trusting her. I mean, look, you're standing up for her! It's obviously working!" Ruby's mouth felt suddenly dry.

"Don't talk about my friends that way," she said coldly. David looked aghast.

"So now she's your friend," he sneered. "Tell me, Ruby, what does that make me? What does that make Snow?"

"I'm just trying to understand!" Ruby was dangerously close to shouting now, and she ran her fingers through her black hair, distressed. "Listen, David. I'm just giving her a chance. With all she's forgotten... I don't know. It just feels like she's much more innocent than she was before."

"Nothing is innocent."

"That isn't what you said about Snow," Ruby said, after a long and agonizing silence.

"That's what I used to think. But it's like I don't know her anymore." Ruby was silent, her shoes suddenly seemed to be the most interesting thing in the room.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," she said. "But... why? Why do you take your anger out on everyone? Regina didn't have anything to do with this, it was Snow herself."

"You don't understand," Charming snapped angrily. "They... they turned Snow against herself." He stopped and bit his lip, Ruby was sure he was about to cry, although that was something she rarely saw him do, unless it was about Snow.

"But you have to let it go. You can't blame Regina for something she probably doesn't even remember doing, Ruby. You need to learn how to trust people. Let go." Ruby stopped to make a helpless gesture.

"What would your mother have wanted?" She finally asked. Those words hit David like a slap in the face, but it was too late to take back what she had said, so she swallowed, knowing she had struck a core.

"I don't know what she would've wanted," David said finally. "But she wouldn't have wanted this. That's what I know." Ruby fought the tears that were burning at the back of her eyes.

"David, just give it some time. I'm not asking you to directly like her, I'm just asking you to try to keep your distance. And stop with the evil glares. Go have lunch with Snow- I mean, Mary Margaret, or something, I'm sure she would enjoy that," Ruby stuttered. Ever since the curse had been broken, she hadn't really been sure what to call anyone. She wasn't even sure what to call herself.

David simply nodded and let out a little groan. "I'm only going to say one thing, Ruby. Watch out for Regina. She could be up to something, and I just don't want to see you getting hurt." Ruby nodded, signaling the end of their conversation.

She glided towards the door and turned the doorknob, glad to have a bit of an escape. She found it easier to fight back tears when she wasn't looking directly at David. She wasn't sure what emotionally moved her about him, though.

She told herself it was because she was sorry about his problems with Snow. She didn't think it was that, but she didn't know why.

"Bye, David," was all she said, before ushering him out of the room. There were orders to take if she wanted to keep the business afloat, after all.

* * *

**_Hey, everyone, this is my first Evil Charming fic, and I hope you enjoy it! ^^ Please R&R, it inspires me to update quickly and gives me lots of inspiration! Thank you!_**


	3. Chapter 2

Regina stared into the depths of her house. Her home. Those words didn't sound right replaying in her brain, so she spoke them aloud. "Home," she said very slowly. No. It still didn't sound right, the word tasted so foreign on her tongue, it sounded empty and lonely. Like a fragment of a real situation.

She sighed, it was so hard to remember anything, and, yet, she wasn't sure she wanted to remember what had happened in her past. She could tell by the way people looked at her that she hadn't been well-liked. That much was clear.

Had she been a bad person? What would the old her have thought about this? She bit her lip, everything was so confusing now that she still had no clue where she really was or how she had lost her memory, for that matter.

Doctor Whale, her doctor in the hospital, had confirmed with her she probably had just hit her head hard, but the thing was, she remembered driving. It was a scattered memory, of course, only vaguely there, but she felt its presence and she was sure it had happened.

Could she possibly have been in an accident? Would Whale and everyone else really lie to her to keep her from finding out the truth about herself?

She knew it couldn't possibly be the truth, part of her wanted to believe what everyone was telling her, and, yet, what was supposed to be "the truth" somehow just didn't seem right.

She leaned backwards and stumbled a little close to her door, she still needed a little time to adjust to her surroundings. It felt like she was on a visit at a stranger's home, she really didn't understand how her taste back then had been so different than what it seemed like now, although one could argue that she was just disoriented, like an unhinged door.

For some strange reason, the place seemed very... empty. Like she hadn't been the only one living here at some point. It sounded crazy, really, but she shook her head, knowing it was probably just because she was feeling lonely the time and that was why.

Regina assured herself that she had had friends before the incident. She couldn't imagine having to cope with having no one, so probably no one had visited her yet because it was an awkward situation. Maybe because they wanted to give her some space. It was understandable.

She swallowed and walked towards the kitchen table, running her hand alongside the smooth surface. No powerful memories were evoked, as she had hoped, but it did seem very familiar and comforting, in a way. It really suited the outlook of the room.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flash bright red. Normally, she would've ignored it, but this drew her attention, so she stalked towards it.

Once she'd reached it, she extended a hand and traced alongside the blood-red circular glass. It looked quite lovely from an angle, but she could make out something else, besides the tiny handprint. Engraved in messy scrawl, were the words "FOR MOMMY".

She frowned. Could this possibly be-

No. There was no doubt of it, this had to be her son- or daughter- who had written this. Why else would she have it? She didn't assume she'd developed some sort of a knack for children, but now that she thought about it, it did make sense. Maybe that was the reason the house had felt so empty.

And, yet...

She was here, alone. There wasn't anyone at her house, and she held absolutely no recognition for many of the things in the town of Storybrooke. The place seemed almost foreign to her. But that wasn't the point, she told herself. The doctor would tell her if she had children. Right?

Unless she was in a state unfit to take care of children...

She bit her lip. Had she maybe given her child up for adoption? Was that the reason everyone stared at her the way she did? It made sense, but she wasn't sure whether she wanted to believe it or not. Would she really give up her own child?

Which reminded her of another point. Had she adopted this child, then given them up for adoption later? The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. No, she had to have had a husband- or a boyfriend, or someone. She wasn't sure which was worse, though. The fact that she'd had a husband- or a boyfriend, who she'd either divorced or been dumped by wasn't something she was sure she was ready to accept yet. She didn't want to go through anything bad again.

Catching herself, she shook her head. She was over thinking the situation. She'd just been released from the hospital, she just needed some space to relax. Maybe she could ask around town or something later on. There wasn't any point in causing herself to unnecessarily panic, after all.

She placed the little plate back onto the wooden cabinet and walked away. That little sculpture gave her an odd feeling, she knew that much, but she wasn't sure whether she should be frightened of this new emotion or if she should welcome and embrace it.


	4. Chapter 3

"Snow, where are you going?" David asked, not sure if he should be concerned, as he watched his wife button up a dark velvety green trench coat on herself. Startled, she jumped, and put hand to her heart, as if to calm herself. "Sorry," he said simply, "did I startle you?" Snow shook her head.

"No, I just wasn't... um, expecting you." Charming nodded, but he found it hard to force any more words out of his mouth. Snow extended a hand and placed it on the cool metal doorknob, and the words Charming had held back were suddenly blurted out.

"Where are you going?" She froze at the sound of these words.

"For a walk." It was a lie, and the both of them knew it. Charming just knew her that well. It hurt him that she had felt the need to lie to him, he'd thought they were beyond that, past that. Lying was something evil did. Just like Henry had said.

"Snow... really." She hesitated.

"I need to finish this feud between Regina and I. It's the only way to prevent anyone else from getting hurt." Charming extended a hand out towards his wife, as if that would magically glue her to where she was.

"Snow, you don't want to do this," he pleaded. "You see, she doesn't remember anything." Snow shook her head.

"It's nothing more than a sleight of hand. And crushing a glowing orb to dust."

"Snow, your heart means more to me than a glowing orb. I know I won't be able to stop you if you do choose to do this... but please, don't leave me, not now." Snow closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Charming's heart began to hurt, it felt like she wasn't even listening to a word he was saying. "I know you're upset with me right now, but we can still make amends."

"For all we know, she's only pretending to have lost her memory. She'll jump at the chance to kill me. I know it. Charming, don't you understand?" she said sadly. "This is the only way for me to be free... to let it all go. The pain... the suffering... it can all end here, now." Charming shook his head, and slowly began to approach her. His hands began to tremble.

"Don't... This isn't what you want. I love you. Think about Emma. Think about Henry, now." He could almost see a crack in her armor, but he didn't give up until he was right beside her. He caught her hand in his and gave a little squeeze, is eyes filled with hope.

Snow paused for a moment, before nodding. "You're right... I think I'm just going to go lie down for a little... I haven't been feeling well lately." She shrugged his hand off before stalking back towards the bed, and Charming felt a silvery tear slide down his cheek.

She really seemed to want to let go. But he wouldn't- no, he couldn't allow her to do it. Charming didn't want to have to learn to live a life without Snow, it would be like living half a life and half a lie.

Part of him told himself he was being selfish, forcing her to stay against her will. He should let her go, he should let her do what she really wanted to. It was her life, after all, not his.

But another part of him told himself that this behavior had only come out due to the whole deal with Cora. She was just confused right now, upset, and probably in shock for what she had done. It was understandable, after all, Charming knew that someone like her wouldn't do anything like that.

She had had a moment of weakness, succumbed to the darkness for only a moment, but she would fight her way back. She would always find him, and she would do anything she had to in order to do so. She would find herself again. Things would die down, and eventually, she would revert back to her old, smiling, happy self. They could forget, forget and move on.

Part of him wanted to believe that, but he wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't anymore. He didn't want to know the truth. Sometimes the truth hurt more than a lie, he felt like he knew that better than anyone.

Henry had told him he didn't believe in sides any more. He had said it didn't matter if Regina was good or evil, he said that the victor was the one who told the story, who picked the sides. He had said that he felt as if he should return to Regina, that maybe he could save her from the darkness that she constantly had to fight.

A while ago, Charming had merely dismissed that thought, good didn't kill, not like Regina did. But after all this had happened...

His attention wandered towards Snow's sleeping figure on the bed. She must be exhausted, poor thing. Something seemed to melt away at him, eat at his heart, he felt a pang of pain... and... was that guilt? He had no idea why he felt guilt... but he felt partly responsible for what had happened to Snow.

He made his way over to the bed, took a seat. The rough sound of the bed sheets crinkling under his weight rang in his ears, loud and clear, and he leaned over and brushed away a strand of raven hair from her features.

And then he smiled.

She still looked beautiful, there in the light, and he couldn't help but think that maybe there was a way for him to make it up to her.

He placed a quick kiss upon her forehead, frowning when he pulled away.

What?

He kissed her again, this time gentle and soft on the lips, but no, it still wasn't there.

What?

He couldn't feel the magic anymore. He couldn't feel that familiar spark that he always felt every time they made a kiss of true love.

What?


	5. Chapter 4

"Regina?" the former mayor nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise. She blinked for a minute, before realizing Ruby was directly addressing her.

"Huh?" Ruby gave her an odd look for a moment, before shaking her head as if clearing her thoughts.

"Your total is $14.50," she said slowly. Regina had been acting a little spacey lately, Ruby figured it was just because of everything that had recently happened, so she left it at that. She was still uncomfortable around her, well, she always had been, just now things seemed different. This Regina she was seeing now seemed like a different person.

"Oh, sorry." Regina dug around in her purse, before pulling out 10 crinkled singles and placing them on the counter. "Sorry, hang on." Ruby bit her lip as she watched her, was it just her or had Regina cut down on her costs lately? No, she wasn't imagining it, it was true. "Here."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Hey, um..." she wanted to say this without sounding ridiculously nosy. "You know, I was wondering, would you like to work here? In the kitchen, I mean, you used to be a really good cook, and I'm sure Granny wouldn't mind extra help. I mean, it is a bit rough, running both the inn and the cafe."

"I... I don't really know, Ruby... I mean, not right off the bat, at least. I think I just need to sleep on it." Ruby nodded, she understood, Regina probably still needed time to adjust to the town anyway. She tried not to be disappointed, but ever since that... incident, Charming had begun to act moody and sort of depressed around her.

"But I do hope you're not upset." Ruby forced a smile on and shook her head.

"Oh, no, it's perfectly fine, I mean, I understand, with the whole memory thing..." Ruby watched, perplexed, as Regina shook her head.

"No, it isn't that, it's-"

"Sorry, hope I'm not intruding," Charming said, taking the seat that was one space away from Regina. "Can I have a hot chocolate with-"

"Cinnamon, gotcha," Ruby said as she headed back towards the back room, eyeing Charming carefully, as if warning him not to tear Regina to pieces when she was gone.

Regina took a sip from her steaming mug and stared into the liquid for a long time. She didn't like the mood this stranger had cast over the diner, she could sense a sadness of sort and... anger?

"So, how long have you known Ruby for?" she asked, trying to brighten the mood. She didn't see the sense in acting so monotone and quiet all the time anymore; this person seemed like he was a good person, just in a bad mood. She directed her attention back towards the stranger, he seemed slightly surprised she'd been talking to him.

"Me?" he said, glancing behind himself, although there wasn't anyone behind him.

Regina laughed, and, despite their differences, Charming couldn't help but think how sweet the sound was... musical, almost... but he was getting ahead of himself. This was his enemy he was thinking about, of course, now that he gave it some thought, Regina was probably just laughing at him for... it didn't matter, anyway, why should he care? He was only acting and thinking like this because he was upset about what had happened between Snow and him, yes, that was it.

"Yes, of course. I saw you talking to her earlier." Charming shrugged sheepishly, making a personal note for himself to keep his discussions with Ruby a little more discreet next time.

"Oh, well... I guess I can fairly say I've known her for as long as I remember. She's very good friends with my wife, you see..." Shoot. Why had he told Regina that?

"You're married? I don't believe I've met her." No kidding, it was probably a good idea to keep Regina as far away from Snow as possible... for all of their sakes. Charming bit his lip and directed his attention back towards Regina.

"Oh, right. Well... she hasn't been feeling well lately." Regina nodded, a bittersweet expression displayed clearly on her face.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said after a long pause. He simply nodded.

"Here you go," Ruby said, placing the hot chocolate on the table and giving him a warm smile.

"Oh, and Regina," she started, directing her attention back towards the former queen. "please try to give that job offer a thought." Regina nodded.

"Of course I will, Ruby, thank you." She sent a warm smile in both of their directions. It wasn't a smirk, and it most certainly wasn't mirthless. This was a real smile, coming from Regina, and it startled Charming in a way he could not describe. "Oh, but it was nice seeing you again, Ruby, and meeting you..."

"David," Charming said, shaking Regina's hand. She nodded in his direction before gathering her purse and coat and heading out the door.

Ruby had been right when she'd said this was a completely different person. Charming felt like he had met the person Regina could've been, who she should've been, had she not been confronted by darkness...

He shook his head, knowing there was no way he could feel pity for Regina. This was her plan, this was what she wanted, and he was not going to let her win, no matter what. This was all just a result of everything that was happening now, he would soon open his eyes and remember who he had just spoken with. The Evil Queen.

Those thoughts didn't sound right in his head, but he had a feeling he would understand soon enough.

* * *

_**This chapter is dedicated to Fabala Throp! Thank you, Fabala, for making me the awesome cover pic! :) To the rest of you, please R&R!**_


	6. Chapter 5

Regina walked into the diner and was instantly greeted with a smile from Ruby, so she forced on a nervous smile as well, as if she was trying to comfort herself. It didn't really help, she still felt slightly jittery and a little hyper, which was odd, because she wasn't sure if that was what people normally felt like when they were nervous.

"First day of work," Ruby said, handing Regina a uniform. "Are you nervous?" She shook her head, then nodded, because she wasn't really comfortable with lying. Ruby let out a little chuckle at this, she somehow always saw the light in situations like these.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I was nervous as heck on my first day, too... I think." she paused and kind of looked off into the distance, at nothing in particular. "Actually... I don't really remember my first day here." Regina's eyes widened unintentionally.

"Really? How long have you been working here for, anyway?" she questioned, since Ruby was her only real acquaintance here, and soon-to-be co-worker/boss.

She simply shrugged in response. "I don't... really remember."

"That long, huh?" Regina said, cracking a smile. Ruby shook her head.

"You have no idea." There was a short pause, before Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and opened them quickly again. "Anyway, go head to the back room, you can change there, and then I'll show you around the kitchen." Regina nodded and headed to the back room, uniform in hand.

* * *

"This is where I tack the orders up, and you can get some extra meat and stuff from the freezer. It should be pretty easy otherwise, the meat and all is packaged well and it's labeled, too. I know you're a great cook and all, so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge to heat up some burgers and all." Ruby flashed her a smile. "And that's pretty much it."

"That's all?" Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, it's really simple cooking food here. Although it is pretty hard for some people to imagine all our food is frozen," she said. No kidding, Regina thought, she felt like she was still in a bit of shock, whether it was finding out the "truth" about the diner, or the fact that she now had a job, an occupation. It almost sounded a little too good to be true, although she knew she shouldn't be getting ahead of herself.

Ruby clapped her hands together, cutting her off from her thoughts. "Anyway, let's get to work, we have a lot of hungry customers!"

* * *

The day was over before Regina knew it, and she was exhausted both physically and mentally. She didn't want to have to memorize any more orders or even think any more, she was too tired to.

She flopped right on her bed, not even bothering to turn the lights off. She just lay there, thinking about everything that had happened lately. She couldn't seem to force the thought of David out of her mind, she just felt so bad for him. He must simply feel so lonely, with his wife sick.

She didn't know why, but she felt like she could relate to him, in her own strange little way. She shook her head, no, she just needed some sleep now.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on the comforting pillow that sunk to fit the shape of her head and let herself succumb to the sweet, silent darkness of sleep.

* * *

David stared out the window, a blank expression on his face. He wasn't really thinking about anything as of now, and he wasn't really looking at anything much. He didn't know what to think anymore.

He still had no way to explain why the true love's kiss no longer worked. It was like some mysterious force had robbed him of the chance to be with Snow again...

No, he was not going to let this stand, he was going to do what he should've done long ago. He was going to save Snow from the darkness, he couldn't afford to lose her.

He grabbed his coat and headed out the door, determined to reach Gold's shop as soon as possible. He had one question burning in his mind, haunting his thoughts, eating away at his subconscious, and he needed it answered now.

He tried to keep his pace at a quick walk, because he knew if he ran he was only going to startle himself more. He finally couldn't wait any longer and broke into a fast run, squeezing his eyes shut just to force out the thoughts for a moment and give him a break.

David couldn't think straight any more, this wasn't like him and he knew it. What was happening to his family? No, he had to believe they would prevail against this. Good couldn't just lose, not like this. He had to-

BANG

David found himself sprawled out flat on the sidewalk, a shocked expression on his face. In his rush, he's apparently crashed into someone.

"Sorry," he said, helping the figure up, he couldn't quite make out her face, she was wearing a large sun hat. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Oh, no, it's quite all right," she said, and he was met by the face of none other than Snow, his own wife.

What? What had she been doing out? He'd assumed she was simply at home, sleeping in bed, but things looked otherwise.

"Snow?" he questioned, still slightly shocked. "What are you doing out here, I thought we just discussed the fact that you need to rest at home, besides, you aren't safe out here anymore."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," she snapped, and he stepped back in shock. Snapping, that was very unlike Snow, she never snapped, even when she was upset.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I'm just concerned. Where were you?" Her expression softened, if only for a moment.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap, I'm just frustrated with everything that's going on." She shook her head and pulled her hat back a little bit.

"Where were you?" Charming repeated in a monotone voice.

"It's none of your business," she shot back. "I don't need you controlling my life," she said angrily, before shoving past him. Charming simply stood there for a moment, staring blankly ahead at the path before him.

This was very unlike Snow, he was beginning to make him feel very uneasy, and whenever he felt uneasy, bad things happened.

* * *

_**I know, I know, I'm terrible, and I also feel terribly tired. Just got off the plane, actually! But I decided to post all this crap for you guys! Enjoy! And remember to R&R for a fast update!**_


	7. Chapter 6

"Gold?" Charming called into the all-familiar shop, his voice echoing hollowly throughout it. He shuddered, it hadn't been very long since he'd come here, but the memories it evoked weren't pleasant, to say the least. He knew he had to be here, though, he needed to know why true love's kiss wasn't working. And if there was a way for him to save Snow from the darkness she seemed to be drowning in.

"Yes, dearie?" Gold walked in, the sound of his cane tapping against the wood floor of the store ringing in his ears. "Oh, it's you," he said, his tone sounding a little ugly. Charming didn't know if he should be offended or not, although he suspected it had something to do with the way he had treated him after what he'd done to Snow.

"Yes, it's me. I have a question for you," he said, his tone sounding a little louder and a lot more bold than he had intended it to sound.

"And what makes you think I'm going to answer it?" Gold sneered. "I have no reason to, after all." Charming bit his lip, he should've expected Gold to fight back, he always was the secretive type and nothing came easily from him.

"Aside from the fact that we're family now, you ruined Mary Margaret. She hasn't been acting the same since you forced her into killing Cora."

"I didn't force her to kill anyone," Gold shot back, the words I and anyone snapping back on his tongue and rolling off in a perfect tone. "She made the decision herself."

"Well, she sure as hell wouldn't have killed anyone on her own!" Charming shouted, he knew he was losing his temper in front of Gold, his former enemy, but he didn't care. Maybe a while back he would've, but he now knew Gold was a person just like him and not some dark being. "You did something to her, cast some spell of some sort!"

"Funny thing that I've heard a comment similar to that already," Gold muttered under his breath, and Charming couldn't be sure whether or not he had intended for that comment to reach his hearing. He expected he had, otherwise he wouldn't have said it at all.

"Anyway, I have nothing to gain ultimately from casting a spell on Mary Margaret, I'm a supporter of true love, and, believe it or not, I'm going to need you to be with your true love if you want to go back home to the Enchanted Forest." Charming remained silent.

"Now, there is one thing I do know, and that is the fact that Mary Margaret was just here." Surprised, Charming lifted his gaze from the ground.

"Really? Why would she want to be here?" he had a sinking feeling growing in his stomach, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the truth. Gold sighed.

"I'm not sure you want to know," he said quietly. So quietly, it was a little painful to Charming's ears.

"Tell me what you know about my wife," he growled. Gold simply stared at the floor, this made Charming uneasy. It was unlike Gold to act so... strange, Mary Margaret must've behaved extremely out of character if he was acting like this.

"I won't," he said stubbornly.

"Then why the hell not?"

"You'll get sick, you won't be able to handle it," he said sternly. "And with all due respect, sheriff, you're like the White Knight of this town, they need you and, frankly, I actually care whether or not this town goes to hell."

"I can handle anything you can't," Charming said, before realizing how little what he'd just said made sense. Well, if it made sense at all, for starters.

"Very well, then. See, your dear Mary Margaret came to me, and she told me one thing. She didn't ask, you would expect it, but she simply stated it." Charming did not like where this was heading, and Gold seemed to be a bit... on edge. Which, as a matter of fact, was very unlike him, and Charming interpreted it to mean that something terrible had happened, terrible enough for even Gold to understand the gravity of the issue.

Gold had always appeared as a dark creature, of sorts, to him. Someone not to be trusted, someone truly evil, truly dangerous. It had never occurred to him that evil could love, really find happiness. It had never occurred to him that maybe the Dark One wasn't as invincible as he had first assumed.

He'd always thought of Gold as more of an animal than a person, so that was how he'd been treated. Looking at him now, with just as much human emotion as anyone else, despite the fact that he'd done wrong many times, made him wonder what really separated good and evil.

The victors were the ones who chose the sides, after all. Regina had been known as the Queen before "evil" had been added to her name. Now that he thought about it, what was good? Was everyone just the same inside? He'd always assumed Mary Margaret was good, but now look at what had happened to her...

Charming bit his lip and met Gold's cold gaze defiantly. He needed to know what Snow had wanted, why she would come to him, of all people.

Gold sucked in another breath, hesitated for one moment, before continuing. "Mary Margaret asked me to crush her heart into dust. She wanted me to kill her."

* * *

_**Yes, yes, I know, I'm terrible. No commentary most of the story, too... This commentary will be pretty short. (Pause) Is that cheering I hear?**_

_**Anyway, I apologize for the lack of Regina/Charming... I know, I'm terrible. I write a Regina/Charming and they still hate each other for all these chapters... Well, mostly Charming hates Regina, but...**_

_**Sadly, there is NO ONCE TONIGHT! We will get through this tough break, I promise. I hope this chapter wasn't... well, too out of character. It was really hard to write for Gold! Which is no excuse, I know, but... agh.**_

_**Hopefully I'm able to update soon, stuff has been hectic lately. And I promise there will be some Regina/Charming action in the future!**_

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I will continue to update frequently!You have no idea how much reviews help with inspiration and such. Thanks to all those who gave suggestions and put plenty of thought into their reviews! You guys rock!**_

_**To all my silent readers, thank you for following my stories, and I hope you're enjoying my stories! :-)**_


	8. Chapter 7

"What?" The sound of his own voice sounded very far away, for a moment Charming wondered if he was hallucinating. He could feel his head pounding, almost hear the steady sound of his heart beating.

"You heard me right," Gold said slowly.

"I... I don't see how it's possible," Charming murmured. He suddenly felt lightheaded, lightheaded and dizzy, the way you usually felt when you stared at something for far too long. Because too much of one thing was never a good thing, too much shock had gotten to him in one single moment. "Mary Margaret wants to live, she wouldn't. She couldn't," he said, more to himself than to Gold. He knew, deep down inside, that it was the truth. That he was wrong and that Gold was right.

Knowing it was the truth hurt more than the sound of it ever could.

Gold stayed silent, eyeing Charming, his former enemy. He quietly dismissed the thought that maybe he really shouldn't have told him. He'd needed to know, and he was slightly glad to have gotten it out.

David just couldn't see Mary Margaret doing something like that... but he knew that Gold wasn't necessarily concerned about Mary Margaret. He was concerned about what it meant, how things could twist. If someone as sweet and docile like Mary Margaret could be changed. It was different than that memory potion he had given to her all those years ago- once one has their love ripped away, you can't blame them for being consumed by darkness. Mary Margaret had done this to herself... and that was the worst part of all.

"What does it mean," he said through gritted teeth. It wasn't a question, it was a statement, one he knew Gold was going to have to answer, or God help him.

There was a long pause from the older man before he spoke. "That the best of us has changed." Charming opened his mouth to say something, but it simply fell shut, the words he had been holding in scattering away. "And I don't know what that means for anyone else that is imperfect."

David knew what Gold was implying. That, if something was not done about it, the whole town of Storybrooke could fall into darkness.

"No. Mary Margaret hasn't changed... she couldn't. It's just all getting to her head," he said quickly. Yes, that made sense, he had to be right. Good couldn't have just... lost, not just like that.

"There's more," Gold said quietly. "Mary Margaret... she's changed."

"No kidding," Charming snapped.

"I mean... when she came here, I sensed a change in her presence. It was hardly recognizable, at first, but I felt it growing more intense in every second that passed... She's blackened her heart." Charming's mouth suddenly felt dry, like he'd been eating sand.

"What?"

"She's blackened a spot in her heart. And once you've blackened it, it just keeps on spreading and spreading.. until your entire heart has become completely black." Gold stayed silent for another second, and Charming had a feeling he had something to say that he was hiding from him.

"Do you know how it can be stopped?" He asked after a while. Gold still stayed silent, his gaze had fallen to the floor now, and Charming took that as a sign that Gold probably wasn't about to reveal that to him. Or say anything, for that matter. Charming knew he could get down on his hands and knees and beg for Gold to tell him, but he wasn't going to say anything. He supposed it was because Gold was either too proud to admit the fact that he didn't know how it could be stopped, or because he enjoyed seeing their relationship burn. Either way, he knew there was no point, so he sighed.

"Then answer me one question, Gold, why doesn't it work anymore?"

"Why doesn't what work anymore?" Gold's tone was back to emotionless and he had lifted his gaze from the floor to meet Charming's eyes.

"True love's kiss," Charming answered slowly. Gold scoffed.

"You're asking me why your true love's kiss won't work anymore with Mary Margaret?" Charming nodded.

"Yes."

Gold stared at him blankly for a moment. "Well, the answer's obvious, dearie, it doesn't work because she isn't your true love anymore. LIke I said, she's changed. Now, if you want to get her back..." he chuckled, although Charming didn't think this was a laughing matter. "it's going to be a quite difficult endeavor." Charming clapped his hands together.

"Great. And you're helping me. This is your fault."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you, you see, this isn't anything that I can help with. Like I've mentioned, I have problems of my own to solve." Charming bit his lip.

"This is a top priority, Gold," he snapped. "This is serious. Now, unless you want to prevent another Regina from happening, I suggest you get your act together and help me save Mary Margaret from this darkness!" He was shouting now, but he didn't care. Gold only laughed.

"Don't you think that if I knew how to help her, then I would've helped myself first?" He turned and stalked towards the back of his shop. "The exit's that way," he said, making a gesture with his hand. "Unless you need me to escort you there."

Teeth gritted and hands balled into fists, Charming stormed out of the shop.


	9. Chapter 8

Ruby eyed Charming from the corner of the cafe, an odd look on her face. He sighed and stood up, he already knew that she was waiting for him to come over. She always had that look on her face whenever she had something important to say.

"You come here every day." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and a very firm one, at that. "I always see you. But I never see Snow. Why not?" Charming pursed his lips, Ruby knew something was up. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth- it was high time he talked to someone about it, or he would surely go insane- but, on the other hand, this was for his wife's safety, and he couldn't afford to risk that. And, yet...

He sighed. Ruby was Snow's best friend, and she had a right to know. Besides, he thought, he really did need to talk to someone about it.

"Snow... a lot's been on her mind lately. Whatnot with the whole stranger-coming-into-Storybrooke thing." Ruby searched his eyes for a moment, before squinting a little.

"You're lying," she dryly remarked. He blinked.

"Was it that obvious?" Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I'm a wolf... smarter than you think. Duh." Charming couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at her remark. "Now, what is the real reason I haven't seen Snow?"

He sighed. Ruby was smarter than that, and he knew that if he didn't tell her, she would find out anyway. She was just that kind of girl, one that would stop at nothing to find out what she needed to know if she had her mind set on something. It was her determination that showed her true colors... but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, her determination was a good thing. It helped show her what she needed to know.

"You know... everything with Cora's death, right?" Ruby nodded, Charming had talked to her about it on a few occasions, but she wasn't really sure why he was bringing it up now. "Well... Snow's... she's... she's partially responsible." Ruby stared at him blankly for a moment, it seemed to him as if she were processing the thought.

"What?" Charming nodded.

"But it wasn't entirely her fault-" he began, before he was cut off by Ruby.

"You expect me to believe this?" He voice was a whisper now, good, she understood the gravity of the situation that he had dragged her into. Uh oh. Maybe telling her hadn't been such a good idea... now that he thought of it, the less people that got involved, the better.

"Of course. It's the truth, Ruby, I swear." Now he had set his word on it, now it was too late to turn back now. Ruby sighed and closed her eyes, she didn't say anything for a long time.

"I don't believe it," she finally said. He nodded.

"I know you don't. But, I'm telling you, it's the truth."

"I know it's the truth!" she snapped. "I... I just can't believe it... I mean, I don't want to." Her tone softened near the end, she hadn't meant to snap.

Charming nodded, he had had a similar reaction to this when Mary Margaret had told him what had happened, only he had kept it all locked up to avoid startling her more. He didn't want to possibly hurt her any more than she had hurt herself.

"If it makes you feel better, she... well, she was tricked into doing it. Sort of."

"I don't care if she was tricked," Ruby said, anger clearly displayed in her tone. Fury was blazing in her eyes. "She did it, either way, and playing the blame game isn't going to change what's happened. I learned that long ago, you taught me that, now it's time for you to realize it." She shuddered and sucked in a deep breath.

"Look, as much as I know you want to believe that she's completely innocent, she did it, either way. I mean, I would understand if this was anyone else we were talking about, but this is Snow. I mean, Snow White. She's the best of us all, she wouldn't ever have dreamed of doing this... Not the Snow I know." She squeezed her eyes shut.

"And this is killing we're talking about. Murder. I mean, I would be concerned if she killed a fly. Even if she only took a part in it, even if she only watched the thing happen and then laughed afterwards, I don't care. If she lent a hand in murder... God, I don't even know where to begin."

"You don't understand," Charming argued, despite the fact that he knew, deep down, that Ruby was right. Either way, Snow was still his wife, and he was going to stand up for her and protect her if she couldn't protect herself.

"She's constantly fighting with herself, that's why she hasn't been out so long. She's been feeling ill." He paused. He wasn't sure if he should reveal this one piece of information... but he was stubborn and he couldn't fight the urge to be right, just for once.

"In fact, she felt so guilty that she went to Gold's the other day and asked him to kill her." The words were out before he could stop them, and he instantly regretted saying them. Ruby stood shock still, contemplating this twist of events.

"You mean she-"

"Yes."

Ruby turned around to face the other direction. "This... this is a lot to take in," she stuttered. "I think... I'm just going to go... I just need some time to process this all." David nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"You're right... I'm sorry. I just..." he let out a loud breath. "It's just... this has all gotten to me too, and it's hard for me to keep it all in."

"I know what you mean," she said quietly. "I have to hold things in all the time, too."

Neither of them said anything else after that.

David didn't have much of anything to say, after all.


	10. Chapter 9

"Hi, Ruby. Can I have a hot chocolate?" Ruby looked up from the stain on her shirt to see Henry sitting at the bar. She bit her lip, shouldn't he be with his mom or something?

"Cinnamon on top?" she finished. Henry nodded and a smile stretched across her features.

"Here you go." It wouldn't hurt to serve him, at least, if he had run off, at least he was here and she knew where he was. And Emma wouldn't mind, right?

The loud sound of bells tinkling rang in Ruby's ears, and in burst Madame Mayor.

"Sorry I'm late, I got held up again. Traffic." she let out a nervous chuckle, and Henry gave Ruby an odd look. she bit her lip, she hadn't quite thought about that.

"Hey, Henry, why don't you... um, go to... the... supermarket and buy me... dog treats?" Ruby suggested. She hated herself for that last part, but the last thing she needed was a wild confrontation in her own diner. Especially if it was between the mayor and her son.

All she received for her valiant efforts, however, was an extremely sardonic-looking eleven year old. "I'm eleven. Not stupid. Besides, I know you enough to understand that you don't eat dog treats. And why are we whispering?"

Ruby bit her lip. "Please, Henry, just do me this one favor, go to the back room and wait until Regina leaves. Please."

"She's my mom, Ruby." Henry's tone was much softer now, and his expression looked just so... pleading.

"You don't see, she-"

"Oh, Ruby, who's this?" Regina said, cutting her off smoothly.

'Great. nice job, Regina. Just how long have you been standing there?' Ruby thought. "Umm, this is-"

"I'm Henry. D-don't you remember? he spoke slowly." The look on Henry's face was one of shock and bewilderment, and she could sense a twinge of sadness emanating from him.

Regina had a funny look on her face now, and she frowned and crouched down a little so she was eye-to-eye with Henry. The gesture stayed glued to her face as she spoke. "No... I don't. I'm sorry." She stood until she met Ruby's nervous face. "Do I know him?"

Ruby considered lying, but she knew it would only make the situation worse, so she sighed. "Yes, you do. But you don't remember him..." Henry gave her a look, and she sighed. This was quite the situation she had gotten herself into.

"Henry... he was your adopted son." she bit her lip, she didn't even know where to begin. "But... um... well, you eventually gave him back up for adoption." her gaze had fallen to the floor, and when she looked up, she could see tears in Regina's eyes. Tears. In the Evil Queen's eyes. Something didn't sound right about that, and her gaze met the floor once more.

"Why would I do that?" she heard Regina whisper.

"It's not-" Henry began, but Ruby gave him a look that let him know that it was best for her not to know the truth about what had really happened. "How... how did you lose your memory?" Henry asked, finally. He couldn't get rid of the thought, he felt very confused right now and he wasn't really sure how to react to or understand this situation. He wasn't even sure if he was taking this a little too lightly. Ever since he'd found out the truth about Mary Margaret, nothing had ever seemed to make sense. Even Emma had lied to him.

He'd allowed himself to forgive her, if only for a moment, because he knew she was new to this whole mom thing. But then she did it again, and again... it made him wonder which one of his moms was batter. Come to think of it, his sense of logic had been slightly altered when he'd found out his mom was the Evil Queen. The only reason he'd pushed her away was because he'd figured that villains couldn't love anyone or anything, but the way he had seen her stare at that man in the stables so long ago made him change his mind. It only made him reevaluate the subject a little more.

But then all of this had happened. Now he was questioning if good and evil really existed. No, it didn't exist anymore, not to him. Right now, Regina and Emma were both his moms and he didn't care about good or evil. He didn't care about the final battle. All he wanted was for everyone to be happy. He was done choosing sides.

"I don't quite know, Henry... I'm so sorry. This must all be very confusing for you." Henry nodded, and stayed very quiet for a long time.

"I... I think I should go now," he said, gathering his coat from the high chair at the bar and slipping out of the restaurant. He stopped once he had made it to the door, though. "Bye, Ruby. Bye, Mom," he said quickly, before he opened the door and dashed out onto the sidewalk.

Once Henry had left, Regina pounced on Ruby. "What the hell was that?" she snapped. "Why didn't you tell me I had a son!"

"I was going to, but... well, his mom... um, I just thought it was better for you not to know!" she blurted out. Regina winced, and she let out a groan. "Listen, I'm sorry, but this has all been confusing for you, and I just didn't want to pile it all on you." Regina nodded.

"You're right... I'm sorry for shouting. It's just... I can't believe I would do that. I mean, subject an adopted child to endure the pain of losing another person... I mean, I just can't. I don't know why, but I feel like I can relate to it..." Ruby nodded.

"Listen, if you really want me to, I'll tell you what you need to know from now on. Just promise me you won't do anything rash, all right?"

Regina nodded. "I swear."


	11. Chapter 10

Unfortunately for her, Regina found it hard to keep her promise to Ruby. Ever since she'd seen Henry at the diner, the kid had stuck to her like glue... he would always follow her around and ask her what she was doing, when her shift was over, if they could go to get ice cream or something when she finished work.

Ruby thought it was cute, but Regina felt like it was anything but that. Quite contrary-wise, as a matter of fact. She just felt... so nervous around him. Like she had broken a promise to him, or something.

She knew it was silly and ridiculous. She'd heard about his mother, Emma. He had a family here, he didn't need her. She'd wondered a bit about the fact that why were they all here, but she'd simply shrugged it off at the moment. Now she was having second thoughts. Why was everyone here?

It couldn't simply be coincidence, nothing more. But it felt... strange, somehow. Henry had eagerly told her about how he had finally found his father. She'd patted him on the back and smiled down at him, awkwardly, at the time she'd been more occupied with other concerns. But now...

Many things were odd about this town. Henry's father had come back. His mother, by chance, was here also. She'd lost her memory unnaturally. Everyone was so... young. David Nolan, for instance. He'd told her, with a wry smile, that he was well over Emma's age, but he most certainly didn't look it. It was all just so... odd.

And nobody seemed familiar except for... well, it was silly, but... Henry's grandfather, David Nolan. How terribly odd.

She furrowed her brow and turned her attention back towards the apple turnover sitting in the stove. Five more minutes, she sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Her cooking was a disaster, but she'd just rooted this one out from under a cabinet and figured she ought to give it a try. There was a bountiful amount of apples outside in the tree, after all.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Things were getting a little more familiar around here, but she still felt as lost as ever. She really didn't know anyone here but Ruby and a couple others, no one seemed to really like her anyway.

She crinkled up her nose disdainfully. Oh, she'd almost forgotten. The turnover. She grabbed her oven mitts and cautiously pulled the steaming turnovers out of the stove, the heat blasting her like a choking wave. She slammed the oven shut and quietly placed the tray down on the kitchen counter.

"Well, it isn't smoking, so that's a good thing," she told herself with a smug mile on her face before turning around and shutting down the stove. She quite suddenly realized something and began patting around in her pockets for her phone.

"Oh, shoot, shoot, shoot shoot shoot," she mumbled, panicking and looking in all directions.

'Maybe I left it in the living room,' she mentally told herself. 'Yes, that's it, the living room. Don't panic. Panicking never solves anything.' She sighed and slowed her pace down, flipping over pillows and crouching down to look under tables. Nope.

She was just about to go back to the kitchen and use the house phone to call her cell which she should've thought of all along when something caught her eye. She ignored it at first, but it seemed familiar so she backed up and returned to the case.

She opened up the dusty cabinet and something in the center caught her eye once more. She picked it out. It was a gold-engraved book with a tiny red heart-shaped stone in the center. The rest was brown.

She frowned. She had seen this somewhere before, but where? She was just about to open it when there was a sudden knock on the door. She placed it back in the cabinet, leaving the wooden doors ajar and walking over to the door quickly.

When she opened it, she was surprised to be greeted by David Nolan. She blinked and they stood there in awkward silence for a while.

"You left your phone at the cafe," David blurted a little too quickly. "Ruby would've brought it back but she was busy, so she asked me. Here." He handed it to her and she pocketed it.

"Thanks," she said.

"Sooo..." David said.

"How's Henry doing?" she blurted.

"He's fine. He's a little upset; you have to understand, a lot is going on and all..." his voice trailed off before he accidentally revealed anything. Regina nodded in understanding, before remembering the turnovers cooling in the kitchen.

"Oh, I just made some apple turnovers, do you want to come in and try some?" Regina offered kindly. David hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

'If she wanted to kill you, you'd be dead the moment you stepped foot on her porch,' he told himself. 'Besides, you trust her. Right?' He paused for a second. Huh. He trusted her.

He didn't dwell on the thought for a very long time, he followed her into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. He could smell the sweet fragrance of the turnovers from a distance away.

"Wow," was all he said when he saw the perfectly aligned turnovers. "Wow," he repeated dumbly. Regina chuckled.

"Well, I think it's more like beginner's luck," she mumbled, before reaching over and pulling out a kitchen knife from a drawer and cutting a couple of pieces.

"No, I thought you were always a great cook," David said with a frown.

'Oh, shoot, I did not just compliment the Evil Queen... I just did, didn't I?' he thought nervously, watching Regina blush from where she was getting the plates.

"Thank you," she said, looking like an embarrassed teen. The look didn't last for long, though, before it was replaced by her usual mask.

"Here," she said, handing him a plate. It took him a while to realize she was talking to him.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," he said hurriedly, taking the plate and fork from her clumsily. The two ate quietly and thoughtfully.

"So how's everything coming along?" David said in between bites.

"What do you mean, everything?" Regina wondered.

"You know... the whole memory loss thing." Regina sighed.

"Well... Okay, I guess. I just feel like..." she paused for a moment. "It just feels like people are treating me odd because of something that happened. Not necessarily the memory loss thing," she mumbled as she continued to fumble for words.

"No, I totally understand," David said reassuringly, placing his cleaned plate gently down on the table.

"How?" Regina asked, a little harsher than she had intended it to come out.

"Well... I was in this coma, you see," David said, trying to ignore that odd feeling he was getting. "And I sort of lost my memory... it's a long story. But... just know you're not alone. There are people out there who care about you, Regina..." she solemnly looked up.

"Thank you, David," she murmured, wiping away a stray tear. David's heart began to pound a little faster as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a kiss, their lips tingling once they had parted. Both adults snapped back in to reality after a few more moments of silence.

"I'm sorry," he said hurriedly. "I... I should go." Without any more words, he backed away before fleeing from the place.


	12. Chapter 11

Regina stared hard at the blank paper on the desk. She fingered the smooth surface of the pen she was holding and let out a whimper, before scrawling messily on the paper.

It's been five days. I think he's forgotten me. I just feel like I'm waiting for something that isn't going to happen.

I can't explain why I feel the way I feel about him. I don't know if I love him or if I hate him or both. I hardly even know him and yet I feel drawn towards him in a way I can't explain. I only wish I knew how he felt...

Regina stared at those words on the paper for a very long time. Silvery tears pooled in her eyes, kissing the cold wood of her desk and shattering into a thousand pieces. She hurriedly wiped them away, before balling up the mess and throwing it into the rubbish bin under the desk.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a little whimper. Nothing, nobody felt real anymore... except him. Everyone always said that love was the greatest power of all. That love created happiness. But not in this case. All her love did was cause her more pain. She felt absolutely awful, the exact opposite of what she'd thought love meant.

She drummed her fingers against the picture sitting on her desk. Cora.

That was what her name was supposed to be. Of course, now she was nothing more than a mere collection of letters. Insignificant. Regina didn't know who she was, not anymore.

She'd been force-fed the necessary details of her past by this point. She knew what she needed to know and that was okay with her. She understood that Cora was her deceased mother. But she didn't want to.

It felt like so long since she'd stared into a set of eyes and seen affection for her. How alone had she been all her life to feel this way? Why did she feel so empty inside? It didn't make sense to her.

Quite suddenly, her phone buzzed, and she looked over at her iPhone. There was a little Messages banner on the top, Ruby had just sent her a text.

"Hey. Haven't seen you around lately," it read, Regina could almost hear Ruby's voice. She hesitated to respond, then thought better of it, before typing a response.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Just caught a cold. Should be back to work pretty soon."

"Ok, that's fine," Ruby responded. "But, you know... if something's bugging you, let me know, all right?" Regina frowned, she found it very odd that Ruby somehow managed to figure our how she was feeling despite the fact that they were conversing via text message.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. :)", she replied quickly, her fingers shaking slightly as she wrote.

"Sorry, 'Gina, but ':)' isn't going to cut it."

Regina smiled slightly before typing back her response. ":("

"That isn't gonna cut it either." There was a short pause. "I'll talk to you later, Granny needs my help. See ya later."

"Bye." She turned off the phone and placed it back on her desk, drumming her fingers against the stiff mahogany wood.

* * *

It was late afternoon and he couldn't stop thinking about her. Hell, he'd been thinking like this for the past few days now.

What the hell had possessed him to kiss Regina Mills?!

At first, he'd assumed that it was just another trick, another one of her games or her magic she'd used to fool him. But then he'd thought the better of it.

The look in her eyes, that couldn't possibly be artificial. He knew it himself because he recognized it exactly the same as the look he'd seen in Mary Margaret's eyes so long ago. If he didn't know better, he might've thought he'd kissed Mary Margaret.

It was scary, it was like Regina was Snow now and Snow was Regina.

Like they'd switched places.

It was so odd now. All Snow was obsessed with was learning magic to find a way to clear the darkness out of her heart. She didn't know he knew about it, of course, he was ready to tell her the truth when she was strong enough to tell him, if that moment would ever come.

"James, what are you doing in here?" Snow wondered as she walked in the room with a mug in her hand.

"It's David," he said stiffly. "And I live here, unless you've forgotten." Snow rolled her eyes.

"Fine, Charming," she said mockingly. "I'm just going to go enjoy my drink elsewhere." she swiveled and walked out of the room haughtily.

'Fine with me, see if I care,' Charming thought, before catching himself.

'Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?!'


	13. Chapter 12

"Hey, Charming, I'm sorry about what happened to Mary Margaret."

"If you need anything, I mean anything at all, just let me know."

"I'm so sorry, I can't believe that would happen."

"It was so unlike her!"

"Why would she want to do this to us?" Ruby asked Charming as she paced the floor of the diner. "I mean... how?" Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and she wiped them away.

"Snow... she was... unstable the last few weeks," Charming answered. "I just feel like there's something I could've done- no, something I should've done. I feel like an idiot." he buried his face in his arms.

"David... no one was expecting this to happen," Ruby said, patting him on the back. He immediately sat up.

"No, you know what, Ruby? You're wrong. I should've seen this coming. I should've been there for her. But instead..." he laughed bitterly. "Instead I was fooling around in town, doing things I shouldn't have been doing. I wasted my time, I could've saved her."

"You were only doing what was best for her, there wasn't anything you could've done to save her," Ruby said slowly, not really sure what he was talking about.

"Ruby..." Charming started. "I... I kissed Regina."

Ruby stared at Charming for a long time, saying nothing. The whole time, he felt her gaze on his, her eyes burning into his head. He bit his lip until it drew blood. Neither spoke for a while, the room was engulfed with silence. But not the quiet kind of silence, just the kind of silence where no one was talking. The vague hum of the dishwasher could be heard for a while.

"What?"

It was a simple word, one that made David wince despite all himself. Incredulous disbelief laced her tone, and he struggled so desperately for words.

"I kissed Regina." The words came out more firm than he had intended to and he was rewarded with a brutal slap to the face.

"How. Could you." Tears were streaming down her face by this point. It was as if Mary Margaret had come back to life, it was like Ruby had been the one he'd betrayed.

"I know. I screwed up," David spoke slowly. Ruby sucked in a deep shuddering breath and leaned against the counter.

"Mary Margaret is dead, David," she finally said. "She's dead and she isn't coming back. And you never even told her the truth? How could you?"

"But I did," David spoke slowly, his eyes level with the rough, shiny brown leather of her high boots. "I told her and now she's gone and I don't know what to do anymore and help me Ruby."

The words came out of his mouth in a string of a sentence, he didn't pause for a single breath or to let her comprehend his speech. It just came out as a confused mix, jumble of disoriented words playing out as a ragged harmony.

"David... I don't know what to say," were the simple words that escaped from Ruby's parched throat. She gave him one last look before whirling around and walking back to the kitchen like an apparition. He held out his hand for a moment, as if he was reaching out to stop her, but she was gone in an instant and he let his hand fall limply to his side, the ghost of an embrace of air whispered along his cold flesh.

* * *

The town was quiet as usual, words only spoken in hushed silence and rumors dancing about like a silent melody playing across a parchment suspended in thin air. No one could see them and yet everyone knew they were there.

But there was one thing that had changed, and that was that Mary Margaret was gone. She'd vanished almost as quickly as the way silvery water slips through your fingers and melts away back into a vast lake of fluid.

Nothing was forever. He'd tricked himself, lied to himself, told himself that love was forever but it was not. Love could be broken by death.

Despite his situation, he didn't see her. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he couldn't. It wasn't right to do this to the town after all they had gone through.

He had to look after the town now because it was the only thing he really had left that he knew was real, and he couldn't let that slip through his fingers the way Snow had.

Life faded so quickly and when it was over, were you really even there, or were you just background noises from a soundtrack that was stuck on repeat? If a tree fell in a forest did it make a noise? Or was it just another shadow slipping away into an abyss of endless darkness?

These were questions that defined his life. Definable, but still a mystery. Easy to know, easy to solve, and yet invisible to everyone around them. Just another puzzle, just something to ponder about and wonder about and think and try to worm your way past their trickery.

But soon those riddles, those words, those webs would become nothing more than a jumble of confused words. After time, they would change and warp despite the honest attempts to string them together, keep them alive. After time, they would fade and become forgotten. Time would last forever and yet nothing else would.

Time. That was the real problem now. It was all just so... boring. Even though it was a terrible thing to say, time was the problem. There was simply too much time. Or too little. Life was so brief, so short, simply a flash of a second in a giant measuring. And yet, did he want to spend his life alone? He knew he wasn't perfect. David had made many mistakes. But he didn't want his life to be a mistake. He didn't want to grow up old and alone, and he didn't want to break Regina's heart.


	14. Chapter 13

_**Warning, it's short. Drabble short. Very, very short.**_

_**I'm just posting this so you guys know I'm not giving up on you. So don't be mad!**_

* * *

_It's cold._

That is the first emotion she can distinguish in a sea of sadness and melancholy as she drowns pitifully in a shallow pool of guilt.

And, yet, it's so goddamn cold.

The wind picks up around her, flits across her skin gently and embraces her thickly. She pulls her jacket tighter around herself and closes her eyes for a brief second, shutting out the noisy voices of the world.

It's freaking cold.

She steps into the diner, hoping to find shelter, warmness, refuge inside her beloved workplace, but even it felt cold today.

She took her position at the counter and picked up a glass and a cloth, polishing slowly while she was bored.

Most of the time, she loved a repeat of things. She liked everything in order because she didn't remember and that was exactly why. She didn't remember and she needed things to feel familiar for her.

A shadow casts over the counter, and she stares at the glass, before speaking and looking up.

"Hi, what can-" Regina froze cold at the sight of one no other than David Nolan. She'd heard about Mary Margaret's suicidal jump from the pier. Although she wasn't quite sure what to think. Each set of brown eyes stared ruthlessly at each other before Regina finally broke the silence. "David."

"I couldn't stay away," the words slip out of his mouth silently.

"No," is all she says.

* * *

_**told you it was short.**_


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